Safe & Sound
by Rum Tum Trager
Summary: Alyssa Vintanza runs away from her abusive father. She is eventually saved by Connor MacManus and his wife Rebecca. After she is nursed back to health by Connor's twin brother Murphy and his wife Emily, she runs into some trouble. But she ends up having her life saved from an old friend of the brothers who moves in with them and takes care of her (co-written w/Darke-Angyl)
1. On My Own

It was a blustering, boiling June day in Boston. Agent Paul Smecker had decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. He sighed sadly, looking down at the photo he held in his hand.

'Oh, my dear, sweet Marie...' he whispered sadly, 'where have the three years gone?'

Suddenly, he felt something run into him. He growled, turning around to yell at the person, but his expression quickly softened at the sight of who it was.

It was a young girl. She didn't look older than sixteen. She looked thin and malnourished. It was amazing how she was running. He slowly got down to his knees next to her.

'Are you okay?' he whispered softly.

The girl shook her head and continued to run. Paul shrugged, turning and walking towards the police station.

The girl continued down the street. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and she ended up colliding with something else. She saw stars as she fell down, barely hearing the sound of an angry voice.

'Fuckin' watch it, will ye?' growled the voice, 'she's pregnant!'

The girl shook her head to clear the fuzziness. She slowly got to her feet, stumbling off towards the alley. Connor shook his head.

'Some people's kids...' he grouched.

Rebecca gently placed her hand on her husband's shoulder. She looked in the direction of where the girl went.

'We should go check on her...' she said gently, placing her free hand on her round stomach, 'there's something wrong...'

Connor frowned.

'Are ye sure, love?' he said.

Rebecca nodded.

'I'm positive.'

Connor nodded. He took Rebecca's hand, slowly walking into the dark alley.

'OI!' he called out, 'where are ye?'

The girl slowly popped out from the dumpster. She had a bottle of water in her hand. She opened the lid, but Rebecca stopped her.

'You shouldn't drink that, honey,' she said, taking the bottle away from her, 'you don't know where it's been or who's pissed in it.'

The girl shook her head again. She stumbled past them, trying to run again, but Connor grabbed her by the waist.

'Yer no' goin' anywhere!' he said.

The girl cried out.

'LET GO OF ME!'

Connor growled. He lifted the girl's shirt up, gasping at the sight of the two large bruises that were located where he placed his hands on her.

'Jesus Christ!' he said, 'where tha fuck did ye get these?!'

The girl didn't answer. She tried to walk away, but she passed out before she was out of the alley. Connor threw his arms out, catching her before she hit the ground. Rebecca sighed sadly.

'Let's get her back to the mansion,' she said softly, 'she must be starving...and it's hotter than Satan's asshole out here...'

Connor nodded.

'Aye,' he said, 'let's go.'

The young girl groaned as Connor moved her. He gently cradled her against his chest, holding her the same way that he held Rebecca the day that he and his brother Murphy had rescued Rebecca and Emily from Giovanni Guadagnino. Her face pinched in pain. She opened her mouth.

'Please don't hurt me...' she whimpered.

'We're no' gonna 'urt ye, lass,' said Connor in a gentle tone, 'I promise.'

The girl groaned again. She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at him.

'What do you want from me?' she whispered.

'We don' want anythin' from ye, lass,' said Connor, 'yer sick. Yer starvin'. We jus' wanna take care o' ye.'

The girl mumbled. She gently turned, burying her face in Connor's chest.

'Everything wants something...' she muttered against his shirt, 'nothing's free...'

Connor gently placed his hand on her head. He remembered how he cradled Rebecca the same way, a sad sigh escaping from his lips.

'I promise ye tha' yer gonna be okay,' he said, 'we're no' gonna 'urt ye.'

The girl groaned softly as Connor jostled her. Her head swam as she tried to pay attention to where he was taking her.

'Me wife an' sister-in-law will take care o' ye,' said Connor, 'we're almost there.'

The young girl looked up at Connor. She shuddered at the thought of being locked up again, especially in a place where she didn't know anyone. Connor chuckled.

'Ye don' 'ave anythin' ta worry about,' he said, 'I rescued this one.'

Connoe indicated to Rebecca with a nod of his head. The girl sighed.

'Just make the world stop spinning...' she mumbled.

Connor growled softly. Rebecca opened the front door, stepping into the foyer. Her twin sister came into the foyer, gasping in horror at the sight of the girl.

'Oh, God!' she said, 'that poor girl...'

Connor gently handed the girl off to Emily. He walked over to Rebecca, wrapping his arms around her waist and cradling her belly.

'I tink she's dehydrated,' he said, 'she passed ou' when we found 'er.'

'Murphy's making some broth,' said Emily, 'we have a spare room that she can sleep in.'

The girl opened her eyes. She looked up at Emily, not surprised at the fact that he had broken his promise already. She turned her eyes, glaring at him.

'Don' ye look at me like tha',' said Connor sternly, 'I told ye abou' 'er. That's Emily. She's me sister-in-law.'

The young girl didn't say anything. She began to shake in Emily's arms, sweat pouring from her forehead.

'Jesus...' muttered Murphy as he joined his family in the foyer, 'she don't look good at all...'

The girl gently rolled over in Emily's arms. Her eyes rolled back in her head, sweat still pouring from her face even though they had the central air on. She groaned.

'I'm gonna get s-sick...' she groaned.

'FUCK...!' growled Murphy, ''and 'er ta me, Em!'

Emily handed the young girl to her husband. Murphy ran her to the kitchen, gently placing her over the sink.

'Let it ou', lass,' he encouraged, 'come on.'

The girl's entire body shook as she got violently sick in the sink. She was so weak afterwards, she could barely stand. Murphy gently supported her, trying his hardest not to jostle her too much.

'I go' ye, lass,' he said gently, 'yer okay.'

The girl groaned softly as Murphy gently scooped her up in his arms. He carried her up the stairs to the spare room. She rested her head on his chest.

'It hurts...' she whimpered.

Murphy sighed sadly.

'Those words sound all to familiar...' he muttered.


	2. Pain

The girl grunted in pain as Murphy slowly opened the door to the spare bedroom. Her teeth began to chatter despite the fact that she was sweating like mad.

'I j-just need my m-medicine...' she mumbled as Murphy slowly pulled the covers back.

Murphy frowned.

'Medicine?' he said, 'wha' medicine?'

The girl shook her head.

'I d-don't kn-ow w-what it was...' she said, 'm-my D-Dad gave it to m-me...'

Murphy sighed sadly as flashbacks of Emily began flooding his head. He gently wrapped the girl up in the blankets before settling in next to her.

'What's yer name, lass?' he asked her.

'A-Alyssa Vitanza...' the girl whispered, shivering, 's-so c-c-cold...'

Murphy groaned. He remembered how Emily complained about being cold the day he rescued her. Being around Alyssa was bringing all that back again.

'Fuckin' flashbacks...' he muttered.

Alyssa looked up at him in confusion. She tried not to cry out as she curled in a ball, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees as she tried to get warm. She bit down on her lip, trying to fight back tears. Murphy sighed, slowly getting up out of the bed.

'Holler if ye need anytin',' he said.

Alyssa looked up at him. He placed his hand on the doorknob, pausing slightly and looking over his shoulder.

'By tha way,' he said, turning the knob, ''m Murphy.'

Alyssa watched as Murphy opened the door. He closed it, sighing and collapsing to the floor.

'Fuck...' he growled.

Giovanni's Mansion: June 6th, 2010

'Look at ye...' whispered Murphy, kneeling down next to the young girl, 'ye look terrible...'

'Please don't hurt me...' sobbed the girl, 'please...'

Murphy slowly reached his hand out to the girl. Her face was bloody and covered with bruises. She was naked and curled into a tight ball on the cold stone floor of the basement. Her long, blonde hair was matted and covered in blood, her entire body coated in bruises. He gently stroked her cheek with his fingertip, whispering softly to her.

'Yer okay, lass...' he soothed her, ''m 'ere ta save ye...'

The girl looked up at Murphy. Her hazel eyes were shining with un-shed tears. She slowly opened her arms, reaching to him.

'Hold me...' she whimpered, 'please...'

Murphy swallowed back the lump in his throat as he gently took the girl in his arms. He wrapped her in his peacoat, gently cradling her head against his chest. The girl's body shook with sobs as she clung to him, feeling safe once more. Murphy sighed sadly.

'Never again...' he whispered to her, 'never again...'

Present

'Murphykins?'

Murphy looked up. Emily was standing over him, her hazel eyes shining with the same un-shed tears. He sighed.

'Hi, Em...' he mumbled.

Emily sighed sadly. She knelt down in front of her husband, gently stroking his cheek.

'Are you okay, baby?' she whispered.

Murphy shook his head.

'No...'he whispered, ''m no'...'

Emily sighed. She crawled into Murphy's lap, gently placing her head on his shoulder. She gently placed his hands on her stomach, twining her fingers in his.

'I don't think your baby would want you to be crying about the past, love,' she said softly, 'hell,_I_ don't want you crying about the past.'

Murphy sighed.

'I can' 'elp it, love,' he whispered, gently rubbing her belly, 'she reminds me so much o' ye when Connor an' I rescued ye an' Rebecca...'

Alyssa cried out as her stomach began cramping. She bit down on her lip, trying not to draw any attention to herself. She curled up as tight as she could, trying her best not to cry.

Murphy growled as he heard Alyssa's cry. He helped Emily to her feet, running into the room to check on the young girl.

'Shh...' he whispered, crawling in the bed next to her as Emily shut the door, 't'is okay...'

Alyssa shook violently. Her father hated it when she showed any kind of weakness. She began to speak, her voice barely audible.

'P-Please don't h-hurt me, Daddy...' she whimpered, 'I p-promise that I-I'll g-get b-better...I'm n-not w-weak...'

Murphy growled.

'Jesus Christ...' he said, 'wha' tha 'ell did yer Da do ta ye?'

Alyssa stared up at him. Her eyes were wet with tears, her stomach easing up. Murphy fought against the flashbacks as Emily crawled into the bed next to him, kissing him on the cheek.

''ow old are ye, Aly?' asked Murphy.

'Six-Sixteen...' mumbled Alyssa, 'please don't make me go back...'

'We're not gonna make you go back, Alyssa,' said Emily softly, 'we promise.'

Murphy chuckled.

'She's a youngin',' he teased, 'younger than Connor an' I.'

Alyssa frowned.

'How old a-are you, M-Murphy?' she asked.

Murphy smiled.

'Connor an' I are twenty-four as o' last month,' he said.

She attempted to smile at him.

'You're n-not that o-old,' she said.

Emily giggled.

'He's getting there,' she teased, gently kissing Murphy's lips.

Alyssa laughed. Her laugh soon turned into a groan. Murphy sighed.

'Ye need ta rest, lass,' he said, 'do ye wan' Emily an' I ta stay or do ye wan' us ta leave?'

Alyssa whimpered at the thought of him leaving when she just started to trust him.

'Please don't leave me...' she whispered.

Murphy nodded. Emily crawled under the covers with him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Alyssa closed her eyes, slowly falling into a deep and exhausted sleep.


	3. It's All Over

'Where are you taking us?'

'We're takin' ye ta our apartment. We're gonna get ye an' yer sister cleaned up then take ye ta tha 'ospital.'

The girl groaned softly. Connor and Murphy's friend Rocco was driving them towards South Boston. Connor held the other girl tenderly in his arms as she slept, stroking her hair gently. Murphy sighed.

'What's yer name, love?' he asked.

The young girl looked up.

'Emily...' she said softly, 'I'm Emily...'

Murphy chuckled softly.

'So, tha' means tha one tha' me brudder is holdin' is Rebecca,' he said.

Emily laughed softly. Her face pinched as her stomach rumbled.

'I'm so hungry...' she moaned.

'We'll make sure tha' yer fed once yer clean,' said Murphy, gently stroking her cheek, 'I promise.'

Emily nodded. She gently buried her nose in Murphy's neck, marvelling at how good he smelled.

'What's your name?' she asked softly.

Murphy smiled.

''m Murphy,' he said, 'that's me twin brudder Connor that's holdin' yer sister.'

Emily looked over at the other man who was holding her sleeping twin. She smiled softly at him.

'We owe you so much,' she said softly, still clinging to Murphy, 'you saved us.'

'We weren' gonna sit by an' 'ave ye get killed because o' a mistake yer Da made, lass,' said Connor, 'we're gonna take care o' ye bot'. We promise.'

Rebecca whimpered softly in her sleep. She hissed a breath through her teeth as her movement caused a sharp pain from her broken rib to rip through her body. Connor stroked her hair, soothing her in French.

Rocco stopped in front of a bunch of lofts.

'We're here,' he said.

Emily tightened her grip on Murphy as he opened the door. He gently positioned her so that he was cradling her as he carried her inside. She closed her eyes as he and Connor walked onto an elevator. She whimpered as it stopped.

'Don' ye cry no more, lass,' said Murphy, 'yer safe now.'

'It hurts...' mumbled Emily, 'it hurts...'

Murphy growled low in his throat. Rocco opened the door to their room, looking back at them.

'I'll wait in the car,' he said.

Connor and Murphy nodded as Rocco ran to the elevator. Murphy carried Emily over to the showers, gently placing her down before throwing his peacoat onto the mattress he slept on. He turned the water on, testing the temperature before gently placing her under the water.

Emily moaned softly as the water ran down her body, washing the blood from her hair and body. Murphy reached over, grabbing the shampoo and slowly began to wash her hair.

''ow old are ye, Emily?' he asked.

Emily looked at him. She was puzzled.

'Nineteen...' she said hoarsely, 'I'll be twenty in October...'

Murphy chuckled softly. He finished putting the conditioner in her hair and moved to wash her. She whined in fear when he went to wash her vagina.

'Shh...' whispered Murphy, stroking her cheek, ''m jus' gonna wash ye. 'm no' gonna 'urt ye.'

Emily nodded. She trembled as Murphy washed her vagina, trying to hide the fact that he was slightly turning her on.

Murphy gently rinsed her off. He turned the water off, wrapping her in a towel and gently carrying her over to his mattress. He sat down gently, stroking her hair and singing an Irish lullaby to soothe her to sleep as Connor finished up with Rebecca. He smiled.

'Safe an' sound...' he whispered.

Present

Alyssa woke up screaming. Murphy jerked awake, struggling to calm her down.

'Alyssa...' he whispered, stroking her hair the way he does to Emily when he's trying to calm her, 'shh...yer okay...'

Alyssa could barely hear him as she began to strip. She felt like she was burning from the inside out. Murphy hissed.

'Wha' tha 'ell do ye tink yer doin'?!' he demanded as he tried to get her to stop stripping.

'So hot...' mumbled Alyssa, 'too hot...'

Murphy clenched his teeth. He turned around, gently shaking Emily.

'Emykins?' he whispered, 'wake up, love.'

Emily moaned.

'What is it, Murphy?' she mumbled sleepily.

'She's awake,' said Murphy, 'I need ye ta run 'er a cold bath. She's go' a fever.'

Emily sighed. She got up and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She began to run the cold water, remembering how Murphy used to run her them when she was going through withdrawals from a cocaine addiction.

Alyssa mumbled nonsense as Murphy gently rocked her in his arms. Emily returned a few moments later.

'Her bath is ready,' she said, 'but I need to be careful. You hold her. I can't risk anything.'

Murphy nodded as Emily rubbed her pregnant stomach. He gently lifted Alyssa up, carrying her into the tub. She shrieked as soon as Murphy set her in the tub. Murphy struggled, gripping her shoulders firmly.

'Calm down, lass!' he said, 'yer gettin' water everywhere!'

'C-C-Cold...' mumbled Alyssa as she began to calm down, 'so c-c-cold...'

Murphy and Emily breathed a sigh of relief as she settled down. Emily gently walked over to Murphy, wrapping her arms tightly around him as he watched Alyssa.

'Were Rebecca and I this bad?' she whispered.

Murphy nodded.

'Aye...' he said, 'ye were at times...'

Emily nodded. She gently licked the tear that came out of her husband's eye, nudging his cheek with her nose.

'I'm sorry that you're going through all this again...' she said softly.

'T'is no' yer fault, love...' said Murphy, stroking Emily's hair, 'tha lass needs 'elp...'

Alyssa mumbled softly. Murphy grabbed a towel, wrapping her in it and carrying her back into the bedroom. Emily drained the water, mopping up all the water that got on the floor before joining her husband.

Murphy dressed Alyssa in one of his black t-shirts and a pair of his boxers. He quickly ran the towel through her hair before setting her back under the covers. He turned to face Emily, gently cupping her cheek in his hand.

'I love ye so much...' he whispered, ''m sorry tha' ye 'ave ta see me like this...'

'It's okay, Murphy...' said Emily, gently running her thumb along his knuckles, 'I understand...'

Murphy sighed. He looked over his shoulder at Alyssa, noticing that she had fallen asleep.

'Maybe she'll sleep better tonigh'...' he said softly.

Emily sighed.

'I hope so...' she said.


	4. SEX

Alyssa whimpered softly in her sleep. The cuts and bruises that festooned her body stood out against the white satin sheets. Her face pinched against the pain and the drugs that were leaving her system.

Murphy rolled over onto his back. He sighed deeply as he felt Emily begin to un-fasten his jeans, immediately forgetting about the young girl in the bed next to them.

'Emily...' he moaned, 'wha' are ye doin'?'

Emily didn't answer. She slowly pulled his jeans and boxers off his hips. She began to stroke him, getting him nice and hard for whatever he might be wanting to do. Murphy smirked.

'Baby...' he whispered, 'don't...no' righ' now...'

Emily didn't listen. She slowly began to kiss up his chest, making a trail to his lips. She kissed him deeply, plunging her tongue into his mouth.

Murphy's eyes popped open. He soon realized that it wasn't Emily when he felt her kiss him.

'WHA' THA FUCK!' he bellowed, shoving Alyssa off of him.

Alyssa threw herself off the end of the bed. She lifted up the skirt, hiding under it. Emily jumped, looking around with bleary, blood-shot eyes.

'What's going on, Murphy?' she mumbled, 'why are you screaming?'

Murphy pulled his jeans and boxers up.

'She gave me a fuckin' 'and job an' shoved 'er fuckin' tongue down me throat is wha',' he growled as he re-fastened his jeans.

Emily groaned. She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to fight against her anger.

'I don't think I want to know what the poor girl has gone through...' she said.

Murphy looked around.

'Where is she?' he asked.

Emily could hear the sound of someone whimpering. She slowly got off the bed, lifting up the skirt. Alyssa was cowering under the bed, her arms over her head. Emily sighed.

'Come on out, honey,' she said.

'No...' whimpered Alyssa, 'you're mad at me...'

''m no' mad at ye, lass,' said Murphy as he joined his wife, 'ye jus' gave me a fright is all.'

Alyssa didn't move. Murphy reached out towards her, gently brushing his fingertips along her arm.

'Come on out, Lyss,' he said softly, 'yer gonna be fine.'

Alyssa looked at Murphy. She slowly reached out, grabbing his hands so he could pull her out.

'There ye go, lass...' said Murphy, gently pulling her into his lap, 'yer safe...'

'I'm sorry I was bad...' sobbed Alyssa, 'I thought that's what you wanted...I thought that's why you were in the bed with me...'

'You wanted us to stay with you, Alyssa,' said Emily softly, 'don't you remember?'

Alyssa shook her head. She gasped.

'I'm gonna g-get s-ick...' she whimpered.

Emily hissed through her teeth. She grabbed the trash bucket, handing it to Alyssa just in time. Emily cringed at the sound of Alyssa throwing up.

'I think this is more than just being starved, beaten, and dehydrated, Murphy...' she said.

Murphy nodded.

'Aye,' he said, 'she's goin' through withdrawals like ye an' Rebecca did...bu' I don' know wha' she was on...'

They heard two throats clear from the doorway. Connor and Rebecca were standing there, watching them.

'Do ye need any 'elp?' asked Connor.

Alyssa began to have a seizure just as Murphy was about to answer. Murphy bit down on his lip, gently laying her on the floor. He buried his face in his hands, letting out a strangled sob. Emily wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him tight. Rebecca sighed.

'I'm calling Simon,' she said.

Connor walked over to help his brother pick Alyssa up as Rebecca talked to Simon. He looked over at her when she hung up.

'So, what's he doin'?' he asked.

'He'll be on his way over when he's done with the last of his paperwork,' answered Rebecca.

Connor nodded. He looked down at Alyssa, his eyes full of sadness and sorrow, also remembering about how he took care of Rebecca after the rescue. Murphy growled.

'I want ta kill whoever did this ta 'er...' he said, 'they're gonna fuckin' pay...'

'We'll find 'em eventually, Murph,' said Connor, patting his brother on the shoulder, 'an' when we do, they'll be sorry.'

Suddenly, they heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. Emily sighed.

'I'll get it,' she said.

Everyone watched as Emily went running out of the room. Murphy gently pulled Alyssa into his lap, stroking her hair.

Emily returned a few moments later with Simon. He was young, about twenty-three years old. He had slick, dark brown hair and bright, friendly blue eyes. Alyssa whimpered when she saw him set his black medical bag down on the bed.

'Hello, Alyssa,' he said kindly as he pulled out a syringe, 'I'm Doctor Tam. I'm gonna give you some medicine to help you get better.'

Alyssa began to shake in Murphy's arms. Murphy stroked her hair, soothing her.

'Shh...' he whispered in her ear, 'Simon's gentle. He's no' gonna 'urt ye...'

'No...' whimpered Alyssa, 'he's got a ne-needle...'

Emily nodded to Murphy. Murphy placed his finger under Alyssa's chin, gently tilting her head up so she could look in his eyes, the same way he did to Emily when Simon went to take care of her and Rebecca. Simon beamed at Murphy as he pulled out some alcohol and a cotton ball to swab her inner elbow.

'Yer gonna be fine, Alyssa,' said Murphy softly, gesturing to Connor to hold her arm so Simon could clean her, 'I promise.'

Alyssa whined. Connor gently but firmly held her arm out. Alyssa flinched as she felt something cold on her inner elbow. She was so deep in thought she didn't even feel the prick of the needle. No sooner did Simon give her the shot, she was asleep. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as Murphy set her down against the pillows.

'She might sleep for a few hours or a few days,' said Simon as he hooked an IV into her hand, 'this will keep her hydrated while she sleeps. Emily knows how to change them.'

'What about food, Simon?' asked Emily, 'poor girl must be starving.'

'Keep her on broth, saltines, toast, applesauce, and things like that for at least a couple of days before you start giving her anything more substantial,' said Simon, 'the IV will be enough for now. Ease her back into eating.'

Everyone nodded. Simon hugged them all before walking out the door. He sighed.

'Good luck...' he whispered.


	5. Miss Murder

Emily brought in Murphy a plate of bacon, eggs and toast. She handed him the plate, kissing him softly before going over to change Alyssa's IV and bandages.

'She's been out for four days, Murph...' she said, trying to keep the worry from her voice.

Murphy sighed.

'Simon said she'd be out fer a while,' he said, shoveling the eggs in his mouth, 'ye slept fer a week.'

Emily shook her head. She walked back over to him, sitting in his lap, holding the plate in her hands.

'You need rest, love,' she said as Murphy moved onto his toast, 'you have bags under your eyes.'

Murphy sighed.

'I jus' 'ate ta leave 'er alone...' he said softly, running his thumb along her cheek, 'she reminds me so much o' ye...'

Emily sighed. Murphy finished his food, setting the plate down on the bedside table. He allowed Emily to pull him from the bed and into the bedroom. He lay back against the pillows, falling asleep within minutes.

Alyssa woke up, feeling more alert than she could remember ever feeling before, but she was confused. She wasn't exactly sure where she was. She felt a pull in the back of her left hand and looked down to find an IV stuck in the back of it. She looked around, feeling even more confused. The room she was in looked more like a bedroom than a hospital room. She tried to swallow, but her mouth and throat were very dry and felt like they were lined with sandpaper. Instead, she tried to get up.

'Uh-uh!' said a voice, 'yer no' goin' anywhere!'

She sighed.

'Connor...' she said hoarsely, 'what happened?'

'Simon gave ye some medicine ta get tha drugs ou' o' yer system,' said Connor as he sat down next to her, 'how are ye feelin'?'

'I feel a lot better,' admitted Alyssa, 'I owe you one for saving me.'

Connor chuckled.

'T'was no trouble, lass,' he said, 'I'm used ta this kinda ting.'

'Because of Rebecca?' asked Alyssa.

'Yes, because o' Rebecca,' said Connor.

Alyssa opened her mouth to retort, but a familiar voice interrupted.

'Yer awake!'

'Murphy!' cried Alyssa.

Murphy ran into the room. He hugged Alyssa gingerly as Emily took the IV out of her hand. Connor chuckled.

'Someone's 'appy,' he teased.

Murphy snorted.

'O' course 'm 'appy,' he said, sitting on Alyssa's other side, 'she's lookin' a lo' better.'

'I _feel_ a lot better,' said Alyssa, 'I probably would have been dead if it wasn't for all of you.'

'It was no trouble, sweetheart,' said Rebecca, waddling into the room, 'you needed the help.'

'Are ye okay, love?' asked Connor, getting up to hold his wife steady.

Rebecca chuckled.

'I'm fine, baby,' she said, kissing the tip of Connor's nose, 'I'm just a little pregnant.'

Everyone laughed.

'I'll go heat you up some broth,' said Emily, 'I'll be right back.'

Murphy kissed his wife softly before she ran out of the room. Connor wrapped his arms tightly around Rebecca's waist, kissing her neck. A low purr escaped from Rebecca's lips before she could stop it. Murphy groaned.

'Can ye no' keep yer 'ands off 'er fer five seconds?' he asked.

'Nope,' said Connor, 'me 'ands are glued ta 'er. Ye should know this by now, dear brudder.'

Alyssa laughed.

'How far along are you, Rebecca?' she asked.

'Eight months,' said Rebecca, placing a hand on her stomach, 'I'm due in the middle of next month.'

'Do you know what you're having?' asked Alyssa.

'No' yet,' said Connor, leading Rebecca over to the bed and pulling her into his arms, 'she wants ta keep it a surprise.'

Alyssa nodded. She swallowed against the lump in her throat, plastering a fake smile on her face.

'Do you have any names picked out?' she asked.

Rebecca nodded.

'If it's a girl, her name will be Annabelle Lisa,' she said, 'if it's a boy, his name will be Burnett James.'

'Burnett...' said Alyssa, 'I like that name.'

Emily came back into the room. She handed Alyssa a cup before crawling into Murphy's lap.

'Careful,' she said as Murphy cradled her belly, 'it's hot.'

Alyssa carefully blew on the broth before taking a small sip. She sighed as the warmth spread throughout her body.

'This is so good...' she said softly.

'You'll be drinking a lot of that until you're feeling better,' said Rebecca, 'once you are, we'll give you more solid food.'

Alyssa smiled. Suddenly, there was a doorbell. Emily frowned.

'Were we expecting anyone?' she asked.

Alyssa slowly handed the cup to Murphy. She slid out of the bed, looking out of the window. She gasped, her knees buckling.

'NO!' she cried, 'THEY FOUND ME!'

'Who did?' asked Murphy as he rushed over to keep her steady.

'My D-Dad...' said Alyssa, 'he-he's the one who abused me...'

Rebecca hissed. She rushed down the stairs, planting a forced smile as she opened the door.

'Can I help you?' she asked.

'Get out of my way, bitch!' snarled one of the men, shoving her to the ground, 'I know you have my daughter!'

Connor snarled.

'YE SON O' A BITCH!'

Rebecca watched in horror as Connor came sliding down the railing. He knocked the man to the ground, wrestling with him. The other man ran to Rebecca, pressing his knee to her throat.

Alyssa watched in horror as the two men attacked Rebecca and Connor. She rushed down the stairs, jumping on the man who was attacking Rebecca's back before Murphy or Emily could stop her.

The man slammed Alyssa onto her back. Alyssa groaned as her body slammed on the marble floor of the foyer. Murphy rushed to his brother's aid, his Desert Eagle in hand.

'No' today, motherfucker.'

Before the man could react, Murphy pulled the trigger. Alyssa screamed as the man's body toppled on top of her.

Connor continued to wrestle with the other man. Rebecca got to her feet, drawing her pistol. She shot the man in the head, grabbing him before he fell on top of Connor. Emily came rushing down the stairs to see if Alyssa was alright.

Alyssa tried to push the body off her, but she was still to weak. Murphy pulled the body off her, pulling her into his arms.

'Shh...' he whispered, rocking her gently, 'yer okay...I go' ye...'

'Cara...' whimpered Alyssa, 'I'll never find you now...'

'Who the fuck were those guys?' asked Emily.

Alyssa pointed to the man over by Connor.

'That's my dad,' she said, 'his name is Carmine Vitanza. The other man is Salvatore Anzolotto. He's the father of...my daughter.'

Rebecca gasped.

'You have a daughter?!' she exclaimed, 'but you're only sixteen!'

Alyssa nodded.

'Salvatore took Cara away from me when she was born three years ago...' she said, 'now I'll never...'

Her sentence was cut short as she began to cry. Murphy stroked her hair, rocking her.

'T'is okay, lass...' he whispered, ''m sure we'll find 'er.'

Alyssa looked up at Murphy. Her timid green eyes were full of love as she looked into his bright blues.

'Thank you,' she whispered.

Murphy smiled as Alyssa slowly fell asleep in his arms. Emily kneeled down next to him.

'You go put her to bed,' she said, 'I'm gonna make something special.'


	6. Never Gonna Be Alone

Emily slowly walked up the stairs carrying two trays of food. One for Alyssa and one for Murphy. She slowly opened the bedroom door, setting the trays on each bedside table. She sat down at the edge of the bed, watching them.

Alyssa woke up. She looked around wide-eyed until she realized where she was. She nodded as Emily pressed a finger to her lips, sitting up slowly.

Emily smiled as she fixed the pillows behind Alyssa's back so she could eat and be comfortable. Alyssa looked at the food in confusion as Emily laid it across her lap. Emily noticed, her expression hardening.

'Alyssa, do you know what any of this is?' she asked.

Alyssa bit her lip.

'That's milk...' she said, pointing to the glass, 'that looks like soup broth...that looks like bread but it's shaped wrong...and I've seen those green things before, but I can't remember the name...'

Emily sighed. She fought back tears as she explained the food to Alyssa.

'The green things are called green beans,' she said, 'the soup broth is called gravy. That's covering the mashed potatoes. The too soft bread is called a hot roll. This is macaroni and cheese, and the other thing is chicken.'

Alyssa nodded as Emily handed her a fork. Murphy slowly began to wake up, beaming when he noticed that Emily had brought him something to eat. He grabbed his tray, digging into his meal immediately.

'What did they feed you?' asked Emily.

'I ate mostly ravioli and soup,' said Alyssa, 'mostly canned food.'

'Well, ye won' be eatin' tha' canned shit 'ere,' said Murphy proudly, 'me girl likes ta cook.'

Alyssa started eating. Her eyes widened.

'This is delicious!' she exclaimed, eating faster.

Emily laughed.

'Slow down, Alyssa,' she said, 'there's plenty more where that came from. You are never going hungry again.'

Six Weeks Later

Alyssa woke up with a yawn, stretching her arms over her head as she slowly sat up. She looked around the room, still feeling shocked to realize that it was hers. She was safe and had a home where she was loved and cared for. It was taking her some getting used to. She had been staying in the mansion with the MacManus family for the past six weeks, and she was finally feeling normal. There was no pain when she moved, her stomach was never cramping from hunger, she no longer craved anything that made her hurt if she didn't get it, and best of all, she no longer had to do any kind of favors for anyone to get anything.

Alyssa smiled as she made her way slowly downstairs and into the kitchen. She took a couple of eggs from the refrigerator and then grabbed a skillet to fry them in. She hummed to herself as her food was cooking. Murphy came walking into the kitchen, zipping his jeans up and trying to wipe the lipstick stain from his neck tattoo.

'T'is good ta see ye 'appy, lass,' he smiled as he walked into the kitchen.

Alyssa barely noticed him as she ran past. She ran into the bathroom, violently puking into the toilet as the smell of the eggs overwhelmed her senses. She sighed as she closed the lid, flushing the toilet before moving to wash her hands and face.

'Are ye okay, lass?'

Alyssa looked up. Murphy stood in the doorway, his eyebrows raised. She laughed softly.

'I guess I'm not ready for fried eggs yet,' she teased, 'I'm fine Murphy.'

Murphy nodded. He wrapped his arm around Alyssa's shoulders, shaking her softly.

'Why don' ye relax in tha livin' room while I go clean up in tha kitchen?' he said.

Alyssa nodded. She slowly sat down on the sofa, laughing to herself as she realized that she was thirsty. She slowly got up, walking towards the kitchen. Rebecca came walking down the stairs, her hand resting on her large stomach.

'Good morning, Alyssa!' she called cheerfully, 'how are you feeling?'

Alyssa swallowed against the nausea. She plastered a semi-fake smile on her face as she looked up at the pregnant older girl.

'I feel a lot better,' she said, 'all thanks to you guys.'

Rebecca smiled. Alyssa stopped at the foot of the stairs, frowning slightly. Something was off about the way she was walking.

'Are you okay?' she asked.

'I'm fine,' said Rebecca, 'I don't know what you're talking ab...'

Rebecca gasped. She stumbled on the last step, almost falling. Alyssa grabbed her, keeping her steady.

'Murphy!' she called.

Murphy came running towards the stairs. He supported Rebecca's other shoulder, helping her down the last couple of stairs.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

'Rebecca's in labor,' said Alyssa.

Rebecca laughed.

'That's impossible!' she said, 'I'm not...'

She gasped at the sudden warmth spreading down her legs. She groaned in pain as a contraction came over her. Alyssa and Murphy helped her to one of the couches, gently laying her against the pillows.

'Alright...' said Alyssa, 'let's get you out of these wet pants so we can check your dilation.'

Rebecca nodded. She panted, slowly lifting her hips so Alyssa could pull her pants and panties down. Murphy ran upstairs to fetch Connor.

'How do you know about all this, Alyssa?' she whimpered.

'I was trained to do this,' said Alyssa as she checked her dilation, 'I delivered a lot of the Vitanza and Anzelotto babies over the last few years.'

Murphy came rushing down the stairs, closely followed by his brother. Connor ran to his wife's side, taking her hand in his.

'Are ye okay, love?' he asked.

Rebecca shook her head.

'It...hurts...' she panted between contractions, 'it...hurts...'

Emily came rushing into the room. She rushed over to Murphy, her eyes full of shock and wonder. Her sister was about to give birth right in their living room. Alyssa looked at them.

'I need you to get me some towels, a pan of hot water, the sharpest knife you own, and some twist ties,' she said.

Murphy and Emily nodded. They ran to the kitchen, coming back with the supplies a short time later. Connor stood behind Rebecca, holding her in a semi-upright position. He held both her hands, whispering encouragement in her ear. Alyssa swallowed against the lump in her throat, remembering how she gave birth to Cara.

'Okay, Becca...' she said, 'I'll need you to push with the next contraction, okay?'

Rebecca didn't have time to respond. She screamed as another contraction came over her. She pushed as hard as she could, collapsing against Connor.

'I can't do it...' she whimpered, 'I can't do it...'

Everyone cringed as Rebecca screamed again. She pushed with all her might, crying hard.

'Yer doin' great, baby...' said Connor, 'ye go' this.'

Rebecca shook her head. Her screams echoed throughout the entire house. She cried as Alyssa told her stop pushing.

'What's...wrong...?' she panted.

'Nothing's wrong, Becca,' said Alyssa, 'I just need to turn the baby.'

Rebecca nodded. Alyssa reached in, gently turning the baby. She sighed.

'Okay...' she said, 'one more push, Becca!'

Connor cringed as Rebecca screamed again. He watched in amazement as Alyssa pulled his baby into her arms. She cleaned its mouth and nose with her pinky before dipping one of the towels in the water to clean the blood off. She looked up at Connor, her green eyes shining with un-shed tears.

'Would you like to cut your daughter's cord?' she asked.

'Annabelle...' breathed Rebecca.

Connor nodded. He jumped up, watching closely as Alyssa told him where to cut the cord. His hands shook slightly as he took his newborn daughter in his arms.

'She's beautiful...' he whispered.

Alyssa hid in one of the corners of the living room, not wanting to get in the way. She bit down on her lower lip, trying not to cry as the nausea and memories overwhelmed her. Murphy knelt down next to her, rubbing her shoulders.

'Hey...' he whispered, 'are ye okay?'

Alyssa nodded.

'Sorry...' she said, 'i'm just thinking about...'

'Cara,' said Murphy, 'I understand, lass.'

Rebecca took her daughter in her arms. Connor knelt down beside her, stroking her cheek as he looked at his new baby. She smiled.

'Annabelle Jane MacManus...' she said in amazement, 'you're so beautiful...'

Annabelle looked up at her mother. She reached out a tiny hand, taking one of Rebecca's fingers. Connor chuckled.

'She's definitely yer daughter,' he teased.

Rebecca laughed weakly. Then she screamed.

'Alyssa!' called Connor, 'we need ye again!'

Alyssa came back to the couch on shaky legs. She wasn't feeling well, but she knew she had to take care of Rebecca. She smiled weakly at Emily as she moved out of her way and behind the couch so she could be on Rebecca's other side. She got back between Rebecca's legs and pressed gently on her stomach, nodding as her suspicions were confirmed. She looked up and managed another weak smile as she looked into Rebecca's eyes.

'Are you ready for round two?' she asked.

'Round two?' whispered Connor.

Rebecca screamed as a contraction came over. She pushed as hard as she could, squeezing Connor and Emily's hands. Alyssa cringed as the screams sliced through her now sensitive head.

'Come on, Becca!' she said, fighting off dizziness, 'push!'

Rebecca screamed loudly. Alyssa gently guided the second baby to join its big sister into the world. She cleaned the second baby's nose and mouth before cleaning it off. She smiled weakly at Connor.

'Come meet your other daughter,' she said.

'Lily...' breathed Emily softly.

Connor walked over and cut Lily's cord. Alyssa ran towards the bathroom, barely making it before throwing up again. Connor wrapped Lily up in the other blanket, handing her to Rebecca before kissing her on the forehead.

'I'll be righ' back, love,' he said gently.

Alyssa thought she heard a throat clear as she reached to flush the toilet, groaning softly.

'I'm okay, Murphy...' she said, 'go back with your family...'

Connor reached out and steadied Alyssa with a firm grip. He closed the lid of the toilet and set her on top of it, wetting a washcloth before kneeling in front of her and gently wiping her face.

'Who's tha father, lass?' he asked.

Alyssa frowned.

'You know who my father is,' she said.

Connor rolled his eyes.

'No' wha' I meant, lass,' he said, 'I meant tha father o' yer baby.'

Alyssa's eyes widened at Connor's words. She shook her head in horror.

'No...' she whimpered, 'I can't be...no...'

Connor sighed, helping Alyssa to her feet. He stood her in front of the mirror and pulled her shirt so that it was tight against her slightly swollen stomach, which jutted out just a little past her hips.

'I saw tha' ye were feelin' dizzy when ye were helpin' Rebecca wit' Lily,' he said, 'yer definitely pregnant, Aly. She 'ad tha same symptoms.'

Alyssa shook her head, staring at the reflection of her stomach.

'I can't be...' she whispered.

'Murph will get ye tested tomorrow,' he said, 'don' worry, lass. Yer safe.'

Alyssa began to cry. Connor scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the living room and placing her at Becca's feet. Connor took Annabelle from Murphy, going over to stand next to Emily who was holding Lily.

'Thank you so much for this, Alyssa,' whispered Rebecca, 'you have no idea. I couldn't have done this without you.'

Alyssa smiled. But that smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

'Of course you could have,' she said, 'I'm glad I could help you.'

Rebecca smiled. She looked over at her husband and sister.

'This is gonna be you next, Emily,' she smiled.

Emily laughed softly. Rebecca turned back to Alyssa.

'Would you like to hold one?' she asked.

Alyssa shook her head.

'No...' she said, 'I can't...'

'Oh, come on...' said Rebecca, 'I insist!'

Alyssa looked helplessly from Connor to Murphy as Connor placed Annabelle in her trembling arms, fighting to keep herself under control. She looked down at the baby girl in her arms and hissed in a quick, shaky, breath. After a few more moments, she looked apologetically at everyone and pushed Annabelle into Murphy's arms. She jumped off the couch and raced from the room, running up the stairs and shutting herself in her room.


	7. Time Of Dying

The Next Day

Murphy hesitated outside of Alyssa's bedroom door. He had a small box clenched in his fist, chewing his lower lip as he knocked.

'Alyssa?' he called, 'ye awake?'

Alyssa didn't even bother to look up as Murphy slowly cracked the door open. Her pillow was stained with tears from crying, her hair matted to her face. Murphy closed the door, gently pulling Alyssa into his lap as he sat down.

'Are ye okay, lass?' he asked.

Alyssa shook her head.

'No…' she whimpered, 'Connor thinks I'm…'

"e told me, lass,' said Murphy softly, 'I go' a test fer ye ta take.'

Alyssa looked up at Murphy. Her eyes were puffy and blood-shot from crying all night.

'What if I am…' she whispered, 'there's been too many…they made me…'

'Shh…' whispered Murphy, wiping the tears with his thumb, 'I promise ye tha' we'll deal wit' this together, okay?'

Alyssa took a deep breath as he wiped the tears from her cheeks. She took the box out of his hands and left the room to go to the adjoining bathroom. She came back a few minutes later and curled back up on his lap.

'So…' said Murphy, 'wha's tha results?'

Alyssa shook her head.

'I couldn't look at it…' she whispered.

Murphy sighed. He gently placed her down, walking into the bathroom to check the results. Alyssa chewed her lower lip as he walked back into the room with the stick in his hands.

'So…' she whispered, 'what is it?'

Murphy sighed. He pulled Alyssa into his lap, cradling her close to his chest.

'I promise ye tha' we will take care o' this baby, lass,' he said softly.

Alyssa gasped.

'I'm…' she mumbled, 'I'm…'

Murphy nodded.

'Yer pregnant, lass,' he said, showing her the positive test.

Two Weeks Later

Alyssa got up and slowly got dressed, her eyes slightly puffy from another night of crying. It had been two weeks since she had taken the test that confirmed she was pregnant. Murphy, Rebecca, and the rest of them had been wonderful, but she still felt so ashamed. She was pregnant, and she didn't even know who the father was. It could be her dad or any one of his friends. The thought sickened her.

Murphy had taken her to see Simon the day before, the doctor who had come to the mansion to help her get over the drug addiction she had had when she arrived. Simon had confirmed the pregnancy and had given her an ultrasound, which showed her to be about eighteen weeks.

Alyssa sighed as she tried to remember what had been happening eighteen weeks before. Everything was all jumbled together in a drugged out haze. She couldn't remember anything that had taken place and sighed. She went downstairs and into the kitchen to get a glass of juice, drinking it before heading outside.

Murphy looked up as he heard the front door open and close He got up, running after her.

'Alyssa!' he called.

Alyssa stopped.

'Yeah?' she said.

'Where are ye goin', lass?' asked Murphy, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Alyssa sighed.

'I'm just going for a walk to clear my head,' she said, 'I'll be back soon.'

Murphy nodded.

'Aye,' he said, 'be careful.'

Alyssa sighed as she walked slowly down the hill. She spotted a park up ahead and decided that would be a good place to spend some quiet time alone. She headed for a walking path that seemed to wind its way through the trees that bordered the park, her thoughts on everything that had happened lately and not on her surroundings.

He looked up from the bench he was sitting on to spot a young, brown-haired, girl heading toward the walking paths. The front of his pants tightened at the sight of her. She looked vaguely familiar, and he decided to follow her, getting up slowly and setting a pace to match hers, keeping several feet back.

Alyssa stopped for a few moments to catch her breath, realizing that she had been hearing footsteps behind her for a while. She put her hands on her knees, hoping the person would pass by her quickly so she could be alone again.

He moaned as he saw the young woman bend over. He'd recognize that ass, even in jeans, anywhere. He had always paid top dollar for time with her, and she had never made him regret a single penny. That girl could take more punishment than most of the women he had been with. He quickly closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms securely around her and pressing himself against her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear after looking around.

'Hey, Alyssa…' he purred in an oily voice, 'it's been a while…'

Alyssa gasped in horror.

'Francesco…' she panted, 'what are you doing?! Let me go!'

Francesco laughed.

'I don't think so…' he said, 'I've missed you, Alyssa.'

Alyssa groaned. Francesco laughed again.

'I can't believe they let you out on your own,' he said coolly, 'that's not like the MacManus boys…'

'You're asking to be killed, Francesco…' growled Alyssa, 'when they find out…'

Francesco looked around again, confirming his suspicion that she was indeed alone. He brought his knee up, hard, into the small of her back, smirking as she dropped to his feet. He began to kick her, punctuating each of his words with a sharp kick.

'You…stupid…bitch!' he snarled, 'do…you…really…think…I…would…come…to…you…without…making…sure…that…you're…alone?'

He reached down and grabbed a fistful of her hair, throwing her over against a tree.

Alyssa felt the breath rush from her lungs as her back connected with the trunk of the tree. She fell into a heap at its base, struggling to just breathe as she fought against the blackness that wanted to drown her. She could taste blood in her mouth, part of her worrying about why since he hadn't hit her mouth. At least not yet.

Francesco stepped over and dropped to his knees beside her. He reached out and ripped her shirt open, using his knife to cut off her bra, laughing as he nicked her skin in several places. He hit her a few times as she tried to fight him, unfastening her jeans and yanking them down her legs before cutting off her panties.

Alyssa shook her head, clawing at Francesco as he climbed on top of her, spitting blood into his face when he hit her.

'Get…off me!' she cried, 'leave me alone!'

She tried to fight, but she was already too weak from the things he had already done. She couldn't stop him as he shoved his cock deep inside her, causing her to scream.

Francesco thrust himself in and out of Alyssa harder than he ever had before. He smacked her around some more when she kept fighting before finally settling his hands around her throat. As he reached his climax, he squeezed, smiling as he watched the light fade from her eyes.

Chris Michaels hummed to himself as he ran down a path in the park. He missed his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, but he had to admit that Boston was a nice change of scenery from the ranch that his WWE Legend father owned. He breathed as his run made his heart race, planning on visiting his old friends later on in the day.

Alyssa's unconscious body lay amongst the trees that lined the path Chris was running on. She lay exactly where Francesco had left her, her torn clothes scattered around her naked and bleeding form.

Chris ran by the trees, but he stopped when he noticed Alyssa. He took his earbud out, leaning down in front of her. He reached out, checking for a pulse.

'Hey…' he whispered, 'are you okay?'

Alyssa groaned weakly.

'Please, Francesco…' she moaned, 'no more…'

Chris growled angrily. It was bad enough that the young woman had been attacked, but it appeared she knew who her attacker was. He sighed as his eyes took in her body, obviously a few months pregnant, to try to figure out if he should move her or not.

'Shh…' he whispered, 'I'm gonna call an ambulance and the police. You're gonna be fine, honey.'

Alyssa gasped.

'No…' she whispered, 'take me home…I can't…'

'You need to go to the hospital, sweetie,' said Chris softly, 'you're hurt.'

'Murphy…will take care of me…' mumbled Alyssa, 'please…take me home…'

Chris hesitated only another minute before pulling off his jacket and carefully wrapping it around her bleeding body. He slid his arms under her and lifted her as gently as he could, wincing in sympathy as she screamed weakly.

'I'm so sorry,' he whispered, 'I'm trying to be careful.'

He slowly got to his feet with her cradled in his arms, trying not to jostle her too much.

Alyssa whimpered. She slowly lifted her arms, wrapping them around Chris' neck. She rested her head on his shoulder, burying her nose in his neck.

'I want to go home…' she whispered, 'I want Murphy…'

'Murphy who?' asked Chris, 'I used to know a Murphy.'

'Mac…MacManus…' Alyssa whispered weakly, 'I live with him…and his brother and their wives…'

Chris nodded. He knew Connor and Murphy from when he worked in the meat packing plant with them.

'Their mansion is up…on that hill…' whimpered Alyssa, 'take me to Murphy…'

Chris nodded. He walked up the hill with the girl in his arms, whistling impressively when he saw the mansion.

'Nice place…' he breathed, 'a massive step-up from that crappy loft…'

Alyssa cried softly as Chris knocked on the door. Emily and Rebecca had gone to visit their mother so she could meet the babies. Murphy opened the door, the curiosity in his blue eyes turning to horror as he saw Alyssa.

'ALY!' he cried.

'Murphy…' whimpered Alyssa, 'Murphy…'

'I found her when I was going for my morning run,' said Chris, 'I wanted to call the police and an ambulance, but she insisted I bring her here.'

Murphy looked up. The horror in his eyes soon turned to recognition.

'Chris?' he whispered, 'Chris Michaels?'

Chris nodded.

'You remember me,' he said as Murphy gently took Alyssa in his arms, 'is your brother here?'

Murphy nodded.

'CONNOR!' he called.

Connor mumbled. He came rushing down the stairs, pulling a t-shirt over his head. He looked at Chris for a brief moment before his eyes settled on Alyssa. He gasped in horror.

'ALYSSA!' he cried, 'WHA' 'APPENED?!'

'I found her lying naked by a bunch of trees in the park,' said Chris, 'she told me to bring her here.'

Connor's eyes wandered to Chris. He chuckled.

'Nice ta see ye again,' he said, "ow's yer sister?'

'Engaged and pregnant,' said Chris.

Connor nodded. He looked at Alyssa, a sad sigh escaping from his lips.

'T'is a good thing tha girls are out visitin' Lisa…' he said softly.

Murphy nodded, distracted. He was worried about the young lass they had all begun to think of as family. He kissed her gently on the forehead.

'Yer goin' be okay, lass...' he said softly, 'I promise...'

Alyssa reached up with one trembling arm to caress Murphy's cheek, her pain filled eyes full of trust.

'I lo-ve y-y-you, Mur…'

Her voice trailed off as her back arched completely up off of Murphy's lap, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, pain lancing through her stomach.

Murphy jumped as he felt something warm spreading across his lap. He glanced down, carefully opening up the jacket, to find blood running down the inside of Alyssa's legs.

'FUCK!' he roared, 'Connor! We canna wai' fer Simon te gi' here!'

He cursed again when Alyssa passed out cold.

'Bring 'er te Lita!' Connor called, running to get his keys.

'What's going on?!' Chris demanded.

'She's miscarryin' de baby tanks te de bas'ard the' did dis," Murphy answered in a growl, 'ye wanna 'elp? Run upstairs an' gi' a blanket off one o' de beds. Donna madder which one.'

Chris nodded. He ran up the stairs, appearing moments later with a large blanket in his hands. He quickly spread it on the couch and helped Murphy wrap Alyssa up in it. He looked up at the sound of a horn blaring.

'Sounds like he's got Lita ready to go…' he said.

Murphy nodded, carefully scooping Alyssa back into his arms. He looked at Chris.

'Would ye min' stayin' 'ere te le' our wives know where we wen'?' he asked, 'ye can come te de 'ospi'al wit dem when dey come.'

Chris sighed but nodded, watching as the beautiful young girl disappeared, carried out of sight within a few seconds.


	8. It's Not Over

Emily and Rebecca MacManus were laughing as they came home from their mother's house, but they shut up as soon as they heard strange noises coming from their living room. Glad that they had left Rebecca's twin daughters with their mother, the twin sisters nodded to each other, each of them pulling out a small handgun and creeping toward their living room.

Chris paced the floor of his friends' living room, waiting for their wives to come home. He was worried about that girl he had found, anxious to go see how she was doing.

'Damn it!' he shouted in frustration, 'would you hurry up and come home already?!'

'Are we in a hurry to die, asshole?' Rebecca asked calmly as she and Emily stepped into the living room with their guns levelled at him.

Chris looked over, the worry not leaving his eyes even as his face relaxed slightly.

'You must be Emily and Rebecca...' he said softly.

'You've got about two seconds to explain yourself,' Emily spoke up.

Chris sighed.

'Connor and Murphy asked me to wait here for you,' he said calmly, 'we have to go meet up with them at the hospital.'

Chris ignored the guns pointed at him, heading toward the door, but the twins blocked his path.

'Are they hurt?!' Emily demanded, her voice full of worry.

Chris nodded.

'They're fine,' he said, 'just worried. Can we go now? Please?'

Rebecca gasped

'Oh, my God…' she whispered, 'it's Alyssa…something happened to Alyssa…'

Emily growled.

'WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!'

Rebecca sighed. She placed her gun back in her holster, moving to calm her sister.

'Calm down, Em…' she said softly, 'stress isn't good for the baby…'

Emily nodded. She put her gun away, her eyes still narrowed. Rebecca sighed.

'I know our husbands would not have left you alone in our home if you were the one who hurt Alyssa,' she said, 'who are you, and what happened?'

Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair.

'My name is Chris Michaels, and I'm from San Antonio,' he said, 'I'm the son of Shawn Michaels and the brother of Hayley Michaels. I used to work with Connor and Murphy at the meat packing plant. I was on a run in the park earlier, and I found Alyssa. Someone beat the hell out of her. I wanted to call an ambulance and the police, but she insisted that I bring her here. Connor was gonna call someone named Simon to come take care of her, but Alyssa started bleeding really bad. They rushed her to the hospital in Connor's car.'

'What the hell are we waiting for?!'

Rebecca grabbed Emily's hand and hurried to the garage, not knowing or caring if Chris was following them or not. She helped Emily into the passenger side of her purple and gold Ford F-150 before hurrying around to slide in behind the wheel.

Chris caught the passenger door just before it shut, helping Emily scoot over on the seat so that he could slide in beside her.

'How long will it take us to get to the hospital?' he asked

'About fifteen minutes or so,' Emily answered, staring nervously out the windshield. One hand rested on her pregnant stomach, leaning forward as if to urge the truck to go faster.

Rebecca barely got the truck parked and shut off before Chris threw the passenger door open. He helped Emily out, urging the two girls to hurry as all three of them headed inside. He rushed over to the information desk and found out that Alyssa had been taken up to the twelfth floor. He ushered the twins onto the nearest elevator and pushed the button for the correct floor.

'Connor!' Rebecca shouted, spotting her husband and Murphy pacing the floor as soon as the three of them stepped off the elevator. She rushed into Connor's arms.

'How is she?' she asked anxiously, 'where is she?'

'We donna know,' Connor admitted, 'she's still in surgery.'

Murphy wrapped his arms around Emily and buried his face in her neck, crying.

'She looks so weak…' he sobbed, 'so...'elpless…'

Emily looked over at Connor as she held Murphy, both of them doing their best to console their sobbing spouses.

'What happened, Connor?' she asked, leading them over to the chairs.

Connor sighed, sitting down in another chair and pulling Rebecca into his lap.

''m no' sure…' he said, cradling Rebecca's head to his shoulder, 'all we know is tha' Chris foun' 'er in th' park, an' she was mumblin' sometin' 'bout a guy named Francesco.'

'We're gonna kill de bas'ard,' Murphy stated, clenching his hands into fists, 'jus' as soon as we fin' ou' who 'e is.'

"You won't be doing it alone,' Chris finally spoke up, 'I want a piece of the bastard that did this to her.'

The five of them looked up as a throat was cleared.

Dr. Simon Tam stepped over to the group, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked tired, as if he had been working hard. He held up his hands when all five of them started to talk at once.

'She's being taken into a private room to recover…' he said, 'she's not conscious right now, but you can all go sit with her as soon as they get her settled in. Murphy, I have you listed as her guardian, with your last name.'

Murphy nodded.

'Tha's good, Simon. Tank ye,' he said, ''ow bad is she?'

Simon sighed.

'She has a severe concussion, a fractured cheekbone on the left side, a shattered left hand, three broken ribs on her left side, two broken ribs on her right side, a severely sprained right ankle, and more bruises and cuts all over her body than any of us really want to think about. She was raped, and one of her broken ribs punctured her lung. She's on oxygen and will be for a while.'

Rebecca wiped at her tears, looking up at their friend.

'What about the baby, Simon?' she asked, 'is the baby okay?'

Simon slowly nodded.

'I tried everything, but the damage was too severe.'

He looked up as his nurse, and girlfriend, approached them.

'What is it, Sara Doll?' he asked.

The brunette sighed.

'I just wanted to let you know that the girl is settled into Room 1217,' she said.

Simon nodded. Sara smiled sadly at the MacManus family.

'It's nice to see all of you again,' she said softly, 'I'm just sorry it's under these circumstances.'

'Is she awake?' Connor asked.

Sara shook her head.

'Between the anaesthesia and the trauma, I wouldn't worry if she doesn't wake up for several hours yet…' she whispered.

Simon gave them all an encouraging smile.

'Your young friend is going to be in a lot of emotional and physical pain for a long time after she wakes up, but she's going to be okay. Why don't the five of you go look in on her? Sarah and I have other patients we have to check on, but we'll be back in a little while to see how she's doing.'

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Alyssa groaned, her hands moving on top of the white blanket that had been tucked in around her. Her eyes fluttered as she slowly started to come around.

"Hey," Murphy spoke softly. He carefully took the hand that wasn't in a cast in his, being cautious of the IV in the back of it.

'Sleepin' Beau'y is finally awake.'

He leaned over and kissed the bandage that was wrapped around her forehead.

Alyssa groaned again, her eyes finally opening. She licked her dry lips, looking around at the five people surrounding the bed she was on. She saw the television sitting on a stand that was hanging from the wall and heard the beeping sounds of some kind of machines.

'What happened?' she mumbled, 'where am I?'

She attempted to sit up.

Rebecca put her hands on Alyssa's shoulders and gently pushed her down.

'Relax, Alyssa. You're safe,' she said, 'you're in the hospital. Simon fixed you up.'

'Ye gonna be jes' fine, Lyssa,' Connor assured her, resting one of his hands lightly on the leg that was closest to him.

Emily patted Alyssa's other leg.

'How much do you remember, sweetie?' she asked.

Alyssa winced as she swallowed.

'I remember going down to the park to walk around and try to...clear my head…'

She shivered lightly, her hand tightening around Murphy's.

'Someone followed me.'

'Aye,' Connor responded, 'do ye know who 'e was? Did ye see 'im a' all?'

Alyssa whimpered, tears sliding down her cheeks as she nodded.

'He…' she whispered, 'he's a man who paid Dad for…'

'Shh…' Rebecca's voice was soothing as she straightened the blanket. She kissed Alyssa's cheek, 'this wasn't the first time he's hurt you, has it?'

Alyssa whimpered again, reaching for Murphy as much as the tubes and wires that had her attached to monitors would allow.

Murphy got up and slid himself carefully onto the bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked the part of her hair not covered by the bandage.

'Who is 'e, lass?"

Alyssa shook in Murphy's arms.

'His name is Francesco Clavetti,' she answered, 'he used to...pay...at least once a week. He's always been really rough, but Dad and Salvatore made him regret the one time he got too rough. They got pissed, because I couldn't work for two weeks that time. He never got that rough with me again... until today.'

'We're gonna fin' th' bas'ard. We promise ye, Lyssa,' Connor stated with conviction.

Alyssa peeked over the top of Murphy's arm and attempted a smile.

'I know you will, Connor.'

Her eyes fell on the guy standing at the foot of the bed. He hadn't said anything yet, but she had a feeling that she would recognize his voice if he ever did speak. As he looked into her eyes, she remembered why he seemed so familiar.

'You! You were there...in the park. You took me home.'

Chris nodded, gripping the foot board of the bed.

'I'm glad you're gonna be okay.'

Alyssa clung a little tighter to Murphy.

'Who are you? Why are you here?'

Chris sighed. '

My name is Chris, and I just wanted to make sure that you were okay.'

He turned toward the door, preparing to leave.

'I won't bother you again, Alyssa.'


	9. Some Things Never Leave You

Alyssa saw the look on Murphy's face and shook her head. Chris had been really sweet to bring her home, but she hated being around anyone new. People made her extremely nervous, and Murphy knew that.

'No...' she whispered, 'please...don't...'

Murphy sighed, leaning over and kissing the top of Alyssa's head, motioning with his hand for Chris not to leave.

'Ye gotta learn te trus' udder people sometime, Lyssa,' he said.

'Aye, lass,' agreed Connor, 'Chris is a good guy. We worked wid 'im at de meat packin' plan'. Ye can trus' 'im.'

Alyssa slowly nodded but kept her face buried against Murphy's chest. As everyone got quiet, she closed her eyes and dropped her hand down to rest it on her small baby bump. Her eyes flew open and widened as she realized that something was different. She gasped and lifted her head, her eyes filling with tears.

'Murphy...no...' she whispered, 'please...tell me it's not true!'

Murphy's gaze fell to Alyssa's hand cradling her stomach, and he cursed. He wrapped his arms tighter around her as she broke down, stroking his fingers gently through her long dark hair.

'Aye, Lyssa...' he said, ''m so sorry, bu' yer baby is gone.'

'NO!' Alyssa screamed into Murphy's chest, crying in anguish as her heart shattered. She kept screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks as she started pulling at the tubes and wires that were keeping her prisoner to the bed. She had to get out, had to get away.

Murphy growled in frustrations, hating to see Alyssa in so much pain and anguish.

'Connor! 'old 'er legs!' he said, 'Chris! Go gi' Simon!'

He wrapped himself as tight around her arms as possible. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew that didn't really matter at this point.

ONE HOUR LATER

Rebecca walked back into Alyssa's hospital room with a tray holding five coffees and sighed.

'Izzy called...' she said, 'she and Angelica are at the mansion wondering where the hell we are.'

Connor's memory kicked in and he cursed.

'Yer parties fer tha show are s'posed te star' t'nite!' he said.

Emily nodded.

'I had forgotten, too...' she said, 'we're supposed to be hosting the next three nights for the premiere. Maybe we should start making some calls and cancel them.'

Connor shook his head.

'No fuckin' way!' he said, 'ye girls worked too 'ard fer dis!'

'Besides...' Murphy said with a sigh as he looked at Alyssa's peaceful face, 'Simon said she'd be ou' fer a while. Ye three go gi' tings star'ed. I'll join ye afta I explain wha's goin' on te 'Lyssa afta she wakes up.'

'You've worked as hard as we have, Murphy,' Rebecca commented, 'you should be there, too. Alyssa wouldn't want you to miss it.'

'I can stay with Alyssa,' Chris offered, 'I won't let her be alone.'

He couldn't explain why, but he hated the thought of ever leaving her again.

Murphy shook his head.

'I'll be fashionably la'e,' he insisted, 'I 'preciate de offer, Chris, bu' 'Lyssa is terrified o' strangers. Once I know she's okay wit ye, I'll leave.'

Chris nodded, sipping his coffee as he watched the other three saying good-bye to Murphy.

TWO HOURS LATER

Chris came back to the room with some take out bags of food, sitting across the bed from Murphy again with a sigh.

'No change?' he asked.

Murphy shook his head as he started opening up the take out bags Chris had brought back with him. He handed a wrapped cheeseburger to Chris and unwrapped one of his own, taking a large bite even though he had no appetite.

As Chris unwrapped his own cheeseburger, he glance at Alyssa and noticed that she was awake. He dropped his food with a gasp, not even noticing as it fell into the floor.

'Alyssa!' he cried, 'you're awake!'

Alyssa lay on the bed with her hands resting, palms down, on the bed on either side of her. Her breathing was deep and even as she stared, unblinking, up at the ceiling. She didn't appear to know that either one of the guys was there.

Murphy immediately put his cheeseburger down and grabbed Alyssa's hand, his heart clenching when she made no effort to squeeze back or to look at him.

'Come on, Aly...' he said, 'look at me...please...squeeze me 'and...'

Chris felt like crying when Alyssa didn't so much as flinch in response to Murphy. He reached over and slipped his hand around her free one, squeezing gently. He couldn't begin to imagine the pain she was going through with finding out that she had lost her baby. He had no idea what to say, but he wanted to show her that he was there for her.

Murphy felt a few tears slide down his cheeks as Alyssa remained non-responsive.

'Please, Aly...' he begged again, kissing her cheek and stroking her hair, 'talk te me...'

Chris took a deep breath.

'You should go to your party, Murphy,' he said, 'I promise I will stay right here, and I will call you the second she snaps out of this.'

Murphy took a deep breath and nodded.

'Aye...' he said, 'I s'pose yer righ'. I ain' doin' 'er any good jus' sittin' 'ere.'

He stood up, leaning over and kissing Alyssa's forehead before shaking Chris's hand and leaving the two of them alone.


	10. In My Arms

Alyssa groaned softly, shifting around as she began to wake up. She whimpered as her hands rubbed over her stomach, remembering that she had lost the baby in the attack.

Chris looked up quickly at the sound of Alyssa stirring and made a fast decision. He got up from the chair and slid onto the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her.

'It's gonna be okay, Alyssa. I've got you.'

Alyssa gasped, opening her eyes wide.

'Where's Murphy?'

She stiffened up in Chris's arms.

'Why are you still here?'

'Murphy and the others had to go back home to handle all of the guests tonight.'

Chris sighed, gently rubbing his hand on her arm in an attempt to soothe her.

'I volunteered to stay so that you didn't wake up all alone.'

Alyssa slowly relaxed, despite her automatic instinct not to trust anyone.

'Th-thank you,' she finally whispered, 'I forgot about the parties. I'm supposed to help with them.'

'I think you've been given a pardon, considering the circumstances,' Chris assured her. He carefully pulled her closer against his side.

'How are you feeling? Do I need to call Simon in here?'

Alyssa shook her head.

'You can find my clothes.'

She reached up with one of her bandaged hands and tugged at the neck of the hospital gown she was wearing.

'I want to go home.'

Chris sighed, kissing the top of her head.

'I'll go find Simon and have him come check you over, but I don't think he's going to be letting you go anywhere yet, Alyssa. You're injured and need time to heal.'

He reached under her chin and tipped her head back slightly so that she was looking up at him.

'I want you to promise me that you will stay here and behave while I'm gone. No trying to get up out of bed or anything like that.'

If she was anything like he suspected, she wouldn't go back on her word once she made a promise.

Alyssa's eyes searched Chris's for several moments before she finally nodded.

'I promise,' she added reluctantly, 'I'll wait for you to come back with Simon and hopefully convince him to let me go home.'

Chris smiled and relaxed, leaning down and kissing her gently on the forehead before getting up.

'I'll be back as soon as I can,' he promised her.

Alyssa sighed as she watched the man leave the room to go find Simon. She knew she owed him her life, but she still wasn't sure about having him around. Through the fog that clouded her memory of the few minutes she had been awake before, she could remember both Connor and Murphy assuring her that he was a good guy. Shaking her head, she sighed again and attempted to roll over onto her side without pulling any of the tubes, stitches, or wires that were in her.

Chris came back less than half an hour later with Dr. Simon Tam in tow.

'I found him,' he informed her with a grin. He automatically moved over to the far side of the bed and stretched out beside her again, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

Dr. Tam studied the two curiously for a few moments before smiling at Alyssa.

'You're looking better,' he commented, 'are you in any pain?'

Alyssa shook her head.

'I've dealt with worse pain. I want to go home.'

She bit down on the inside of her lip as Dr. Tam began examining her. She didn't want to give him any excuse to make her stay. She hated hospitals.

Dr. Tam finished examining Alyssa and sat down on the edge of her bed and took her nearest hand gently in his.

'I know you want to go back home to the mansion, Alyssa, and I would love to let you go to where you are the most comfortable. Unfortunately, you're not ready for that yet.'

He squeezed her hand gently and held up his free one to stop her from saying anything when she opened her mouth to protest.

'I'm going to make a deal with you. I want you to stay in this bed and rest as much as possible tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going to have a physical therapist meet with you and evaluate your condition. If you cooperate, and do everything that you are told to do, I'll let you go home the day after tomorrow.'

Alyssa shook her head.

'No...please, Simon...'

Tears pooled in her eyes.

'I want to go home now...tonight. I don't want to stay here!'

Chris held Alyssa a little tighter, rubbing her arms.

'Calm down, Alyssa. You've got to do what Simon says if you want to heal.'

Dr. Tam sighed and squeezed Alyssa's hand again.

'Look. I know you hate hospitals, Alyssa. You've never had a good experience in one, but I can't help that. All I can do is promise that you will be well taken care of here and as soon as you are well enough, I will continue your treatment at the mansion. I promise.'

'I won't leave until you can,' Chris promised her, 'I'll stay right here with you so that you know you're safe.'

Alyssa sighed and looked from Dr. Tam to Chris and back again. She finally took a deep breath and nodded.

'Fine. I'll stay.'

Chris let out a relieved breath.

'While you're finishing up, Simon, I'm going to go call Murphy and give him an update.'

He kissed the top of Alyssa's head.

'I'll be back before he's finished, I promise.'


	11. Stronger

Chris sighed softly into the top of Alyssa's hair as he held her during the night while she slept. Murphy had been more excited than he had ever heard him after he told him that she was awake and had agreed to stay for at least a couple of more nights. He rubbed his hands lightly on her back, hoping to help keep any bad dreams away.

Alyssa kept her eyes closed and her breathing even as she laid next to Chris on the hospital bed with his arms wrapped securely around her. She wished it was Murphy with her, but she was trying to trust this new person. He was a good friend of Connor's and Murphy's, and she knew that Murphy would never have allowed him to stay if he wasn't safe. She kept repeating that to herself as she fell slowly into a deep sleep, her head nestled against Chris's chest.

Chris smiled as he felt Alyssa fall asleep, realizing that she had been pretending before. He shook his head slightly but was grateful that she finally seemed to be trusting him at least a little. He closed his eyes and fell asleep a few minutes later with a smile on his face as he continued to hold her.

Sara walked into Alyssa's room the following morning and smiled at the sight of the two of them laying on the bed together. It was the first time in the short time she had known the young girl that she had ever seen such a peaceful look on her face. She went over to the bed and checked Alyssa's vital signs, adjusting some of the monitors on her before stepping back. She also replaced her IV bags and then reached out and pulled the covers gently around her.

Alyssa opened her eyes and looked over at Sarah as the woman started to straighten back up.

'Sara? What's going on?'

Sara put a finger to her lips and motioned to Chris, whispering.

'I was just checking your vital signs and making sure that you're comfortable, Aly.'

Alyssa looked over at Chris and slowly slid out of his embrace. She clenched her teeth together as she sat up and reached for the glass of water on the stand next to the bed.

'Simon said I'd be meeting with a physical therapist today. Do you know when?'

Sara sighed at the young girl's fierce independence streak, wishing she would allow them to take care of her longer here in the hospital so that she could get the rest she needed to fully heal.

'I'm pretty sure you'll be going down to meet with him in a couple of hours.'

She looked over her shoulder at a noise at the door.

'Your breakfast is here.'

Alyssa watched as an orderly brought in two trays and began to set them up. She reached over and gently shook Chris.

'Chris...breakfast is here.'

Chris groaned, stretching his arms over his head as he slowly opened his eyes.

'Hmm?'

He looked around and smiled at the orderly and Sara.

'Oh...breakfast. Thanks, ladies.'

He adjusted the pillows behind Alyssa's back.

'Are you comfortable?'

Alyssa nodded as the orderly and Sara left the room to let them eat in peace.

'Thanks, Chris. You've been really sweet.'

She picked up her fork and began to eat the eggs on her tray.

'Sara said I'll be going to meet with the physical therapist in a couple of hours.'

Chris nodded as he began to eat his own breakfast.

'I wish you would re-consider rushing yourself so much, but I'm glad to see you happy about something.'

He picked up the remote control for the television set and handed it to her.

'Why don't you see if there's anything on TV that you want to watch while we eat and wait for them to come get us for your therapy session?'

Alyssa looked at the thing in Chris's hand in confusion.

'What's TV?'

Chris's eyes widened.

'You've never seen TV before?'

When Alyssa shook her head, he wrapped one arm around her waist and pointed the remote control at the television set. He flipped through the channels until he found a talk show.

'There's not a whole lot of options in the morning like this. Later tonight, I can show you some better stuff to watch.'

Alyssa stared at the box that sat on a shelf high up on the wall in shock as people appeared on it. She jumped slightly, wincing as her broken ribs pulled.

'There's people in there!'

Chris laughed.

'No, honey. They're not in there. That's like a moving picture of sorts. It's kind of hard to explain, but those are pictures of people like you and me who are acting out a story.'

He thought for a moment as he realized that they were watching a talk show.

'Well, on sitcoms and dramas and movies they are. This is called a talk show. It's basically just people talking about lots of different things, discussing things going on.'

'This is what people call entertaining?'

Alyssa shook her head, turning her attention back to her food.

'I don't think I like it very much.'

Chris nodded and hit the button to turn the television set back off.

'Then we won't watch it. It was just an idea to help pass the time.'

He looked over toward the door as Simon knocked on it and let himself in.

'Hey, Simon.'

Simon smiled in greeting, part of his attention taken by studying Alyssa's chart.

'You're vital signs are looking excellent, Aly. If everything goes smoothly with the physical therapist, then I don't see any problem at all with you being able to go home tomorrow evening.'

Alyssa smiled slightly as she swallowed the last bite of her breakfast and reached for the glass of juice.

'I still wish I could go home now, but I promise not to complain again.'

Simon stepped closer and affectionately ruffled her hair.

'You are one of the strongest young ladies I have ever had the privilege of knowing. You're going to be just fine.'

He kissed the top of her head.

'In fact, I predict that you're going to be stronger than ever.'

Alyssa blushed.

'Thanks, Dr. Tam. That means a lot.'

She looked over at Chris.

'Are you coming with us to see the physical therapist?'

Chris nodded.

'I'd like to if that's okay with you.'

Alyssa smiled and nodded.

'I think I'd like it if you were there.'


	12. My Savior

Alyssa frowned when an orderly brought a wheelchair into her hospital room a little over an hour later. She glanced over at Simon as he walked in a few moments later.

'Dr. Tam...'

'Alyssa...' Simon mimicked the tone in the young girl's voice. He shook a finger at her.

'You have several broken ribs, and your broken hand won't let you maneuver crutches just yet. Humor me and don't make yourself any worse before we get you healed, okay?'

Alyssa sighed, sitting up and carefully swinging around so that her legs were hanging off the side of the bed. She shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew up under her gown. She bit her lip to keep from showing any of the pain that moving was causing her, trying to ignore the orderly who couldn't seem to stop staring at her.

'Chris, come over here so you can help me, please. Bill is going to leave now and receive a reprimand later.' He glared at the orderly.

'He knows better than to act like this.'

He smiled reassuringly at Alyssa.

'I'm going to adjust your IV so that we can wheel it down with us, and then Chris and I are going to help you into these scrub pants and house shoes so you'll be a little more comfortable.'

Chris nodded, sliding off the other side of the bed and walking around to Alyssa's side, as Bill leaves, grumbling under his breath.

'Asshole..' Chris mumbled. He sat down beside Alyssa and took her hand in his, squeezing slightly to help distract her as Simon messed with her IV.

Alyssa looked gratefully at Chris, thankful for the distraction. She hated needles, and having one messed with while it was still inside of her didn't help her attitude toward them. She squeezed Chris's hand tight with her unbroken one without taking her eyes from his.

'Okay, Chris…' Simon's voice suddenly interrupted them, 'let's get her into these scrub pants and into the wheelchair so we can see what the physical therapist has to say.'

Chris nodded, kissing Alyssa gently on her forehead before helping Simon slide the pants onto her legs. After Simon put the house shoes on her feet, he helped her stand up and reached down to pull the pants up. He helped her over to the wheelchair and kissed her forehead again before straightening up. He moved behind the wheelchair to push her down to the therapy area.

Simon smiled at the two of them as he held the door of the room open for Chris to push Alyssa out into the hallway and then walking beside them as they went down to the therapy area.

'Have the two of you known each other for long?'

Alyssa shook her head.

'I just met him.'

Alyssa glanced up at Chris and smiled.

'Murphy said he saved my life.'

Chris shook his head, moving one hand to squeeze her shoulder gently. "I was just in the right place at the right time. You've saved yourself." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "You are so strong. I've never seen anyone so strong." He straightened back up when Simon moved forward to open another door, pushing her through it and looking around. He whistled under his breath at all of the equipment.

Simon chuckled and nodded.

'We've got one of the top physical therapy centers in the country.'

He looked fondly down at Alyssa.

'You're in good hands here.'

He looked around and nodded as a man came walking toward them.

'In fact, you're in the best hands. This is Dr. Mark Jones. He's the head of our therapy department and the most requested therapist in the states.'

Dr. Jones shook his head, laughing as he approached.

'My ego gets stoked enough, Dr. Tam. That's enough.'

He reached out and shook Chris's hand before smiling down at Alyssa.

'I've heard a lot about you, Ms. MacManus.'

He shook a finger at her, a mildly scolding look in his eyes.

'You're not going to push yourself too hard in here, correct?'

Alyssa's eyes widened, opening her mouth to correct Dr. Jones about her name but closing it quickly when Dr. Tam cleared his throat and carefully shook his head. She swallowed hard and looked back at Dr. Jones.

'No, sir. I've promised to behave and do what I'm told, but I would really appreciate it if you tell them I can go home tomorrow.'

Chris shook his head.

'She's so stubborn.'

He looked at Dr. Jones.

'Just take care of her, please.'

Dr. Jones nodded, shaking Dr. Tam's hand before the other man left. He looked at Chris.

'I assume you're staying?'

Chris nodded.

'I am, unless you have a problem with it.'

Dr. Jones looked down at the clipboard he carried as he shook his head.

'Of course not.'

He motioned with his hand toward a row of treadmills.

'Let's get her over there first so I can get an idea of what areas she needs to work on the most.'

Chris pushed the wheelchair over to the treadmills and locked the wheels, moving around to the front to put the foot rests up and help Alyssa stand up. He kept an arm around her waist until he was sure she was steady on her feet and then stepped back slightly to give her room.

Dr. Jones nodded his approval.

'Okay, Ms. MacManus.'

He turned the nearest treadmill on and set it to its lowest setting.

'I want you to get on here and start walking for me. I'm going to put my hands on your rib cage so I can see how your broken ribs are moving and gauge the best way for you to get the most benefit out of therapy.'

Alyssa nodded, grabbing the nearest arm of the treadmill with her unbroken hand and slowly stepping onto it. She bit her lip as she started walking, resting her cast on the other arm and trying not to whimper or show any signs of pain. She stiffened slightly when Dr. Jones put his hands on her sides, breathing through clenched teeth and forcing herself to relax. She stared straight ahead and did nothing but walk.

'Okay, Ms. MacManus. I'm going to keep my hands on your sides. I want you to let go of the sides of the treadmill now and walk as normal as possible,' Dr. Jones instructed.

He nodded his approval as she did as he instructed, making mental notes of where her pain was the most intense and where her movements were off. Finally, he stepped back and looked over at Chris.

'You can help her back into the wheelchair now.'

Chris nodded and reached over to help Alyssa off the treadmill and back into the wheelchair.

'Are you okay, Alyssa?'

Alyssa took a couple of shallow breaths and nodded her head.

'Yeah. I'm fine.'

She wrapped her good arm around her own waist and closed her eyes, working on getting her breathing under control.

Dr. Jones retrieved his clipboard and wrote down his observations. He studied Alyssa carefully.

'I want you to stay tonight to make sure nothing else happens, but I don't see a problem with you going home tomorrow evening. We'll start your therapy tomorrow, and I'll want you to come back here three times a week.'

Alyssa nodded, looking gratefully at him.

'I promise. I'll do my therapy and everything else I'm told to do. Just let me go home.'

'I'll confer with Dr. Tam, and we'll get it arranged for you to go home tomorrow evening,' Dr. Jones reiterated, 'for now, relax and concentrate on getting better.'


	13. When You Wake Up

Alyssa groaned lightly as she lay back in her hospital bed, her broken hand resting on her stomach. She glanced over at Chris and gave a slight laugh.

'I hope I never have to eat this much food again.'

Chris shook his head.

'It's doing you a lot of good, Alyssa.'

He gently brushed some of her hair back away from her face.

'You're looking so much better than you did when I first saw you.'

He placed his empty tray on top of hers and pushed the call button to let the nurse know that they were finished eating.

Alyssa nodded as the nurse came in and asked if she had enjoyed it and had eaten enough.

'More than enough,' she confirmed, 'I swear they're going to have to roll me out of here when I go home tomorrow.'

Chris leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Alyssa's forehead as he got up.

'I need to go check on something,' he explained, 'I'll be back in a few minutes.'

Alyssa watched him leave with the nurse, confused about what he was doing but realizing that he had basically put the past few days of his life on hold for her. She couldn't expect him to do that forever. She closed her eyes while he was gone, dozing but not really sleeping.

Chris came back into Alyssa's room pushing a wheelchair.

'You're not asleep, are you?' he asked.

'No,'Alyssa replied. She groaned under her breath as she slowly sat up. She looked curiously at the wheelchair, 'I already met with the physical therapist, Chris. What's the wheelchair for?'

Chris smiled as he locked the wheelchair so it wouldn't move. He stepped over to the bed and helped Alyssa stand up, guiding her into the chair. He moved her portable IV stand next to the wheelchair.

'It's a surprise. You hold the IV stand while I push you.'

Alyssa looked up at him with open curiosity but nodded as she wrapped her unbroken hand around the pole of the IV stand. She kept her head down as Chris pushed her down the hallway and into the elevator.

'Relax, Alyssa,' Chris said gently, 'I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy this.'

Alyssa nodded.

'I just don't want to do anything that will end up keeping me from getting to go home tomorrow.'

'I would never do that to you,' Chris promised her, 'I talked to Dr. Tam and made sure it was okay first.'

The elevator doors opened onto the ground floor, and he pushed her through the hallways until they got to a door that led into an outdoor garden area. Turning around so that he could use his hip to push open the door, he took Alyssa outside just in time for them to be able to watch the sun set.

Alyssa smiled, not taking her eyes off the sunset as Chris locked the wheelchair and lifted her into his arms. She shifted slightly, into a more comfortable position, as he sat down and reached over to pull her IV stand closer. She sighed happily and laid her head over on his shoulder.

'It's so pretty…'

'Yes, you are,' he whispered. He leaned his head over and rested his cheek against the top of her head. He wrapped his arms securely around her.

Alyssa hesitated, not sure if he had meant for her to hear what he had said or not. She shifted a little again, tilting her face up toward him as the sun finished setting.

'Tell me about your family, Chris,' she requested.

He tightened his arms around her a little.

'There's not really a whole lot to tell,' he began to tell her, 'there's my dad, Shawn. He's a retired pro-wrestler. My sister, Hayley, followed him into that profession. She's pretty well-known now.'

'Wrestling…' Alyssa mused, 'isn't that some kind of fighting?'

Chris nodded.

'I'll have to take you to one of Hayley's matches sometime. They're a lot better live than they are on television.'

Alyssa sat up and studied him.

'You didn't want to get into wrestling like them?'

This time Chris shook his head.

'No. Dad owns a ranch down in San Antonio. That's where Hayley and I grew up, and I've always preferred working with the horses.'

'What about your mom?' Alyssa asked, 'which does she prefer?'

Chris chuckled.

'She preferred horses,' he said, 'though she was a Nitro Girl, which is how dad met her.'

Alyssa nodded.

'It must be nice having both parents…' she said, 'my momma died.'

Chris kissed Alyssa gently on the forehead.

'When did you lose your parents, Alyssa?'

Alyssa sighed.

'Momma was shot and killed when I was six.'

She shivered lightly, snuggling a little closer on his lap and lowering her voice.

'I guess that's when my dad started changing. He started insisting that I take all of these fighting, self-defense, and weaponry classes.'

Sensing her uneasiness, Chris pulled her closer.

'It's okay, Alyssa. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.'

He carefully stroked his fingers through her hair in an attempt to keep her calm.

Alyssa shook her head.

'No,' she stated, 'you have a right to know so you can decide whether you want to continue spending time with me or not.'

'That's an easy one,' Chris replied with a soft laugh, 'no matter what you tell me, the answer will be yes. I want to keep spending as much time with you as you'll allow me to.'

Alyssa gave him a partial smile and kissed his cheek before continuing her story.

'All the classes were kind of fun at first, and I learned a lot.'

She took a deep breath.

'Things changed again when I turned thirteen. My dad came into my bedroom the night before my birthday.'

She started shaking as she remembered him forcing himself on her.

'He…he told me that I had to take Momma's place in the family.'

Chris barely held back his gasp of horror, rubbing her back. He wasn't sure what to say, unable to imagine any man doing that to his daughter.

'Within three months, he started passing me around to his friends. Eventually it didn't matter if he knew them or not, as long as they paid him enough money for time with me.'

Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she trembled in his arms.

Chris carefully wiped the tears off of Alyssa's cheeks, kissing her forehead.

'Where's your dad now?'

Alyssa took a deep breath.

'I don't know what Connor and Emily did with his and his best friend's bodies.'

She took another deep breath and explained when he looked confused.

'Connor and Rebecca found me a couple of days after I ran away from home. They called Dr. Tam and kept an eye on me while I went through drug withdrawal and healed from the last beating I had received.'

'That's horrible…' Chris finally mumbled.

\

'I had barely started being able to get up and around when my dad and his best friend busted down the door. I'm not sure how they found out that I was at the mansion, but they came to take me back.'

She looked up at him.

'Murphy and Rebecca started fighting them. I watched my dad aim his gun at Rebecca, and I jumped over their balcony to stop him from shooting her. The next thing I knew, Murphy and Rebecca were pulling me out from under my dad's body and they were all discussing who was going to get rid of the bodies.'

Chris nodded.

'I heard they had started getting rid of the assholes in the world,' he muttered.

He tightened his hold on her.

'All that matters now is that you're safe, and you have a home where you're loved by everyone in it.'


	14. Holding Out For A Hero

Alyssa lay on her hospital bed, resting and waiting for Dr. Tam to come in and tell her that she could go home. She had spent most of the morning in physical therapy and was pretty exhausted. Chris had gone outside to call Murphy and check on things at home for her. She sighed and closed her eyes, falling asleep within moments.

Chris smiled when he came back to Alyssa's room a few minutes later to find that she had fallen asleep. He couldn't believe how far she had come just over the three days that she had been in the hospital. He loved her courage and determination. He turned toward the door when someone tapped on it, putting a finger to his lips.

Dr. Tam nodded as he stepped into the room, keeping his voice low as he spoke.

'The paperwork is almost finished and ready to be signed. Murphy signed a form earlier this morning that allows you to be the one to sign her out since he can't be here to do it.'

Chris nodded.

'He asked me to do that when I talked to him on the phone a few minutes ago. Today's the final day of the girls' opening weekend for their show.'

He looked over at Alyssa and smiled before looking back at Dr. Tam.

'I was thinking about taking her out to a quiet dinner and then to see the play before I take her home. Will that be okay?'

Dr. Tam studied Alyssa carefully for several minutes before he nodded his agreement.

'As long as you're careful and make sure that she goes slow,' he agreed, 'she can even put in an appearance at the after party in the backyard of the mansion if she feels up to it, but I don't want her to stay much longer than an hour. I want her to be in bed and ready to go to sleep no later than eleven o'clock tonight.'

Chris nodded.

'I'll make sure that she is,' he promised. He sat down beside the bed as Dr. Tam left the room. He smiled as he relaxed back and watched Alyssa as she slept. Her bruises were beginning to heal, and her natural beauty was starting to shine through.

Alyssa groaned softly as she woke up a little while later. A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes came to rest on Chris.

'How long have you been back?' she asked him.

Chris shrugged.

'About twenty minutes or so. You didn't take much of a nap. Are you feeling okay?'

Alyssa nodded.

'I'm a little sore, but I imagine therapy's going to get worse before it gets better.'

She looked around and sighed.

'I thought I'd be out of here by now. It's almost four o'clock in the afternoon. What's taking Dr. Tam so long?'

'He left about ten minutes ago,' Chris began to explain.

'What?!' Alyssa interrupted, 'why didn't you wake me up? Let's go!'

Chris chuckled and held up his hands.

'Whoa there,' he replied, 'take it easy, Alyssa. He came in to let me know that they were finishing up the paperwork that I have to sign for you to be able to leave and to give me some final instructions on what you're allowed to do tonight.'

'Why do you have to sign the papers?' she asked.

Chris reached over and took her hand.

'You're seventeen, Alyssa. That's still considered to be a minor. Murphy is listed as your legal guardian now, but he can't be here because of the show. He filled out a paper while he was here visiting you this morning that gives me permission to be the one to sign you out.'

Alyssa smiled a little more.

'I see,' she commented. She shifted over on the bed a little so he could stretch out beside her while they waited for the nurse to bring in the paperwork.

'I can't wait to get out of here.'

Chris nodded as he slid onto the bed beside her.

'I know, but you're still going to have to be on bed rest except for when you're up to do therapy for a few more days.'

He glanced toward the door as one of the nurses came in with a stack of papers.

The nurse smiled as she came in and sat down in the chair that Chris had just gotten out of.

'I've got several papers for you to sign, Mr. Michaels,' she explained. She handed him a small stack of the papers, along with a clipboard and a pen. She handed Alyssa a smaller stack.

'These are your instructions for what you can and cannot do over the next couple of months, instructions for wound care, your physical therapy schedule, and your prescriptions.'

She looked back at Chris.

'There's a pharmacy conveniently located on the first floor. You can get her prescriptions filled down there on your way out.'

Chris nodded, handing the nurse back the stack of papers he had signed.

'Thanks for the tip.'

He looked over at Alyssa.

'Ready to go, beautiful?'

The nurse smiled at the two of them as she left them alone, calling back over her shoulder.

'One of the orderlies will be here to wheel you outside soon.'

Alyssa made a face.

'I can walk out if you help me, Chris.'

'I know you can,' Chris agreed, 'but it's the policy of the hospital so that they can't get sued if someone trips and falls while on they're property.'

He picked up a large stuffed teddy bear and helped her sit up on the side of the bed.

'Take your bear and behave.'

He grinned at her.

Alyssa stuck her tongue out at him as the orderly came in, but she allowed them to help her into the wheelchair. She looked up at Chris.

'Are you taking me straight home?'

Chris pulled the strap of her duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbed the rest of the stuffed animals that she had been given during her hospital stay before falling into step beside the wheelchair.

'You'll just have to wait and see,' he answered, teasing her.


End file.
